Reynold Gideon Bouyer (24 December 1741 – 3 January 1826) was an English clergyman, archdeacon of Northumberland.

Life

Born in London to a Dutch father and English mother, Bouyer was educated at Leyden in Holland before being admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge in 1761. Migrating to Jesus College in 1763, he graduated LL.B. in 1769. However, his studies had been interrupted for a time while he acted as a tutor to Robert Bertie, second son of the third Duke of Ancaster, who was at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

. After graduating he was appointed perpetual curate of

Edenham Edenham ( ) is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is approximately north-west of Bourne, and on the A151 road. While the civil parish is called 'Edenham', the parish council is called Edenham ...

in Lincolnshire, near the Grimsthorpe Castle seat of the Bertie family, and following his ordination in 1771 he was presented by them to the valuable Lincolnshire livings of Willoughby-cum-Sloothby and

Theddlethorpe St Helen Theddlethorpe St Helen or East Theddlethorpe is a village and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of the county of Lincolnshire, England. It lies about north of Mablethorpe on the North Sea coast. Some seashore belongs to Saltfleetby-Thed ...

, which he held until 1811. In 1785 he was recommended by Queen Charlotte to Shute Barrington, who collated him to the

prebend A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the ...

Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...

Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England. The cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Salisbury and is the seat of the Bishop of Salisbury. The buildi ...

. When Barrington moved to Durham, Bouyer followed him, eventually obtaining three prebends and the rectory of

Howick Howick may refer to: Places *Howick, KwaZulu-Natal, in South Africa **Howick Falls * Howick, Lancashire, a small hamlet (Howick Cross) and former civil parish in England *Howick, New Zealand **Howick Historical Village **Howick (New Zealand electo ...

and the vicarage of

North Allerton Northallerton ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Vale of Mowbray and at the northern end of the Vale of York. It had a population of 16,832 in the 2011 census, an increase ...

, with the chapelries of Brompton and Dighton, all in the diocese of Durham. He was collated to the archdeaconry of Northumberland, 9 May 1812, and died at Durham 30 January 1826. He is buried in

Durham Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, commonly known as Durham Cathedral and home of the Shrine of St Cuthbert, is a cathedral in the city of Durham, County Durham, England. It is the seat of t ...

. Bouyer was an energetic reformer. During his time in Lincolnshire he was engaged in a variety of efforts at employing the poor, promoting wool production and the worsted industry, and founding the Lincolnshire Stuff Balls at Alford in 1785. He established a scheme whereby parishes opened spinning schools, in which children were rewarded for learning to knit and to spin; he publicised these in a pamphlet called
An account of the origin, proceedings, and intentions of the ... Society for the Promotion of Industry in the Southern District of the Parts of Lindsey in the County of Lincoln
'. He continued educational reform on Durham, publishing a ''Comparative View of the two new Systems of Education for the Infant Poor, in a Charge delivered to the Clergy of Durham, 1811''. This led to his involvement in the reform of the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge; he failed to persuade them to establish parochial libraries, so he established them at his own expense in every parish in Northumberland. They contained upwards of 30,000 volumes, which cost him about £1,400, although he was supplied with them by the SPCK at 40 per cent under prime cost. These libraries were placed under the care of the parochial ministers, and the books were lent gratis to the parishioners.

References

* * ;Attribution 1741 births 1826 deaths Archdeacons of Northumberland 19th-century English writers Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge 18th-century English Anglican priests 19th-century English Anglican priests People from Edenham Clergy from Durham, England {{York-archdeacon-stub